Sponsored by

Some know me as Marianna. Others know me as ~Wian~. Whatever name you recognize me by, I'm glad you cared enough to want to know me in this way.

Oftentimes I am asked how I got "Wian" from "Marianna". Well, to be honest, I didn't. Would you like to hear the story?

I have Cherokee ancestry, passed to me from my grandmother through my father. (No, she wasn't a "princess" *rofl*) Several years ago, my grandmother became quite ill. I happened to be visiting her one day when she sat me down and talked to me about where I came from, where I am, and where I'm going. She told me about herself in that talk, and she informed me of my heritage. She told me it wasn't something talked about much for family reasons. (She never really explained that part further.) She told me that none of our family had ever taken that part of our heritage seriously, and she feared it would be forgotten and die when she passed on. She asked me to remember that for her, so that knowledge wouldn't die. She asked me to teach it to my children, so they would know where they came from. I promised her I would. That was the last day I had a normal conversation with my dear grandmother.

Since that day, I have researched, explored, and discovered so much about the ways of my ancestors. I found far more than just a "primitive culture" of the past. Instead, I found a life, and an understanding of this world and the one my grandmother is in now. I hope I bring honor to her by doing this.

That doesn't explain the name "Wian" though, does it! Well, back when I first found the "net", I found I needed an email address to do just about everything. I also learned quickly how many isp's there are out there and how it takes some effort to find the one that suits your needs best and one that is available. In that process, you can go through quite a few email addresses! I hated using my name, so my husband and I were sitting one day trying to come up with something that would reflect what was inside me, without actually naming me. We go to powwows often, and the elders and teachings we associate with happen to be Lakota. We talked, and my husband said "Wianwyan!" I didn't know what that meant, and actually, it doesn't REALLY mean anything. But it does combine words in Lakota with pronunciations in Tsalagi (Cherokee) to form a word that does actually feel like me. In Lakota, the word for woman is winyan and the word representing things holy, or highly spiritual, is Wakan. In my husband's eyes, as his wife and mother to our 3 children, I am a holy woman. Taking on a name in native culture is not a lighthearted thing. It comes as a great honor and for reason. This name was not bestowed upon me in ceremony, so I obtained permission from my elders to use the name. Since it has no literal meaning, it makes no real declarations, and thus, they said I could use it. And I do!

I do a lot of things besides spend too much time nursing my computer addiction. I write poetry, create beadwork, attend powwows, grow and use herbs, and I could go on. The links on the bottom of this page share a little more of who I am.